My Hero
by The Guest Girl
Summary: Rei and Nagisa enjoy their walks home together. Actually, they enjoy being together in general. Too bad it takes one of them getting into a REALLY bad situation for them to figure it out! Reigisa.
1. In which Fluff is Taking Over the World

Rei smiled to himself as he walked home alongside Nagisa. The smaller boy was chattering excitedly about swim club. Today had been their last indoor joint practice and they were scheduled to start swimming in their own pool the next day. Rei smiled again as he thought of how excited everyone was, especially the small blonde next to him.

Glancing sideways at said blonde, Rei felt the smile drop from his face. He felt the now familiar feeling of butterflies flapping around in the pit of his stomach. He'd been feeling that way for the past couple of weeks, ever since Nagisa had called him "beautiful". He sighed and studied his feet, contemplating his emotions. No one had made him feel this way before. Then again, no one else acted the way Nagisa acted around him. He was always so open, and so persistent at being friends. Most people were turned away by his cold demeanor. But Nagisa wasn't. Why?

He sighed again. Rei _did_ _not_ like not understanding things.

"…all right, Rei?" He started at the sound of his name. Nagisa had stopped walking, and was a few paces behind. Rei stopped walking as well. He adjusted his glasses to hide his embarrassment, before turning to face Nagisa.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Rei asked, smiling sheepishly.

"You've been kinda distant today. I was wondering if something was wrong." Nagisa repeated. The blonde was not wearing one of his usual smiles, instead looking at the blue haired boy in concern. It made Rei sad when Nagisa didn't smile.

"No, nothing's wrong! I'm just thinking about how happy everyone is at finally being able to use the school's pool." He rushed to reassure the blonde. He didn't like it when Nagisa wasn't happy. He liked it when Nagisa smiled. He liked the way it made his eyes light up, and how at times he would scrunch up his shoulders and cock his head to the side. Then his soft, golden hair would tumble about, framing his face in the most perfect way. It made Rei's heart beat faster every time.

_Yes, Nagisa. Something is wrong. _Rei thought to himself as he stared down at Nagisa's disbelieving face._ I have a crush on the most beautiful boy I have ever met, and he thinks of me as nothing more than a friend. _He watched as Nagisa's brow furrowed more. He was cute even when he pouted.

"No, something's wrong. I can tell! Now, what's bothering you Rei-chan?" he asked again, striding over to the taller boy and standing on tip-toe to look him in the eye.

"U-um, well…" Rei said, backing up a step at the sudden close proximity. He let out a sigh. "I guess I'm nervous. You all swim so well, and I don't even know how! What if I can't learn how to swim?" he said truthfully. He couldn't tell him what was really bothering him, so why not tell him the next best thing? He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his crush or his friends. He saw Nagisa's face soften, before it broke into the brilliant smile he so loved.

"Aww, Rei-chan! I know you can learn how to swim! I bet it won't even take a week!" Nagisa exclaimed. Rei smiled back, glad he had managed to get the boy back to his usual smiling state.

"You're right, Nagisa! I'll have the swimming theory memorized by tomorrow!" Nagisa laughed at that.

"Hey! What's so funny? I'm serious!" he pouted. Nagisa's smile simply grew wider.

They continued to walk toward Rei's house. Rei noticed that Nagisa was quieter now. Rei wondered why.

Nagisa slowed his walking as they neared Rei's block. He liked their little walks. He liked Rei's company. He enjoyed the way Rei would patiently listen to him chatter on about this and that, not getting annoyed like most people did. He liked the way he would chuckle slightly at his jokes, even the stupid ones. He liked Rei in general. Not that he'd let the other boy know that, of course.

Nagisa sighed happily, and stuck his hands in his pockets. They were walking on a rather dark street now, with not much but the full moon to light their way. He looked up at the sky, his smile if contentment evolving into a wide grin as he stopped walking.

"Rei-chan! Look how pretty!" he yelled, pointing up at the sky. It was a completely clear night, and despite the light pollution from the town around them, many stars could still be seen.

"Beautiful!" he heard the blue haired boy gasp. Glancing over, Nagisa saw a rather dreamy smile appear on his friend's face. It was rare to see Rei with such a relaxed expression. _Beautiful indeed._ He thought.

They stood looking up at the stars for another few moments. Then Nagisa looked down at his watch and frowned. It was almost time for his curfew. He sighed, before looking over at Rei once again. Grabbing the arm of the other boy, he laughed and tugged at him gently so he would start walking again. Rei glanced down, and suddenly their eyes met. Both boys froze for a split second. Nagisa felt a blush creep up his cheeks, and he was glad it was so dark. He quickly dropped Rei's arm and looked away as they began walking again. He walked a few paces more, before giving in to curiosity and glancing back to Rei.

The other boy was once again looking up at the stars as he walked, seemingly absorbed in thought. Nagisa felt his blush return as he watched, and quickly looked down at his shoes before the Rei could notice him staring.

They were walking up a rather old street now, and the sidewalks weren't that good. Nagisa noticed a large crack in the ground and turned around to warn Rei, who was still looking at the sky. Suddenly, the blue haired boy tripped! Flailing his arms about in an attempt to regain his balance, he just about fell over. Nagisa rushed forward on instinct and caught Rei as he fell forward. Rei looked up, still being supported by the smaller boy's arms, and their eyes met again. Nagisa hurriedly steadied Rei on his feet, blushing fiercely for the third time that night.

"Y-you should watch where you're going, Rei-chan! You could have hurt yourself. You're lucky I was here to save you!" Nagisa chided as he brushed some nonexistent dirt off of himself, obviously flustered. Rei rolled his eyes at his last statement, and crossed his arms in a pout.

"You hardly saved me. The most I would have gotten was a few bruises. Maybe a scrape." When the blonde boy glared up at him, he sighed. "But, thank you, Nagisa."

The other boy beamed up at him, before stumbling over another crack in the cement himself. Rei rolled his eyes again, and smiled fondly.

"My hero." He muttered to himself, earning a teasing shove from the other. The two boys continued in comfortable silence the rest of the way to Rei's house.

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**AN: So there it is! The end of the first chapter of my very first Free! Fic. Was it good? Was anyone OOC? Please, Review and tell me! The next chapter should be up later today!**


	2. In which Rei is awesome and heroic

**AN: Heh heh… eh heh… heh. I'm sorry. This is probably not what ANYONE was expecting after the first fluff fluffy-mc-fluffson chapter. DON'T KILL ME!**

**Also, WARNING! This chapter is where the T rating comes in! There be mild swearing and mentions of nonconsensual touching ahead! If anyone thinks I should change the rating, please tell me.**

"Well, good night Rei-chan! I'll see tomorrow morning for practice!" Nagisa said as they stood outside of the walkway to Rei's house. Rei nodded, staring into space without replying. Nagisa frowned, slightly disappointed at not getting a real response, before he turned and started to walk away.

"N-nagisa!" Rei called out suddenly. The blonde turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"Yes, Rei-chan?" he asked, smiling. Rei froze. Why had he called out? A thousand things flashed through his mind. _I love you, Nagisa. I have a crush on you, Nagisa. You are the most beautiful boy I've ever met, Nagisa. _

He blinked and adjusted his glasses in that way he did whenever he was uncomfortable. It was such a cute habit, and made Nagisa feel warm whenever he did it. He continued looking at Rei expectantly. The silence stretched on for what seemed like hours.

"G-good night, Nagisa." Rei said finally. Nagisa couldn't help the way his smile faltered slightly or how his chest seemed to deflate a bit. He shouldn't have expected anything more than that. Gathering up his emotions, he forced the smile back on his face.

"Okay." He said quietly, before turning away. He couldn't help the way a stray tear ran down his cheek.

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Rei opened his front gate and slipped inside, quickly shutting it behind him. He sighed heavily and leaned back against it, sliding to the ground. He looked up at the stars.

_Why am I such an idiot?_ He questioned them after replaying the walk's events in his head._ I couldn't even think of something to say to him! Gaaaahh!_ Putting his head in his hands, his mind flashed back to the fleeting glance he had caught of Nagisa wiping away a tear. It had seemed like such a minor thing. Not being able to think of something to say… what had Nagisa been hoping for?

"Did I really hurt his feelings that much?" he whispered.

No. He couldn't live with himself if he had hurt Nagisa. Scrunching up his face, he began to think of how to apologize in the morning, when the blonde would inevitably show up to walk with him to school.

Unless… unless he had hurt Nagisa enough to make him not want to walk with him?!

Letting out a small gasp, Rei's head shot up. He quickly looked at his watch. Seven minutes had passed since he had come in the gate. It took about ten minutes, while jogging, to get from Rei's to Nagisa's house. Nagisa was probably walking, so he would take about fifteen minutes to make the trip. That meant that, if he ran, Rei would have enough time to catch up to Nagisa and apologize!

Rei jumped up, and fumbled at the gate latch, leaving his bag sitting on the ground. If he had to run, then run is what he would do. He had to apologize for always being such an idiot. He couldn't lose Nagisa.

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Nagisa sighed angrily. _Ugh! 'Okay'? 'Okay'?! That's how you respond?! Idiot! He obviously had something on his mind! Why didn't you ask him?! _He berated himself.

"Ugh!" he let out an angry groan and kicked a stray rock as hard as he could down the path. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he glared at the ground.

Suddenly he felt himself run into someone.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" He said smiling sheepishly up at the man he had run into. The man looked down at him intimidatingly. He looked Nagisa up and down, and Nagisa had the faintly uncomfortable sensation of being checked out. The man suddenly smiled creepily at the boy.

"Oh, it's fine. A little thing like you couldn't possibly cause any harm by simply walking into me." He said. His voice had a rather slimy sound to it, and Nagisa cringed slightly at the way he called him a 'little thing.'

"Oh. That's goo-" Nagisa started to say, before the man interrupted him, as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"So, what _is_ a _little_ _thing_ like you doing walking around out here all alone, so late at night?" he smiled down at the boy. Nagisa stepped back slightly, forcing a smile onto his face.

"U-um… Y-you're right. It is late! My parents will be wondering where I am, and-" The blonde was growing increasingly uneasy, and he tried to step around the man blocking his way. Suddenly, he felt someone come up behind him and put his hands on the teen's shoulders.

"Ahh, no need to rush! A little worrying is good for the soul!" someone else said. Nagisa tensed up even more then he had been, and quickly shrugged the hands off his shoulders. Another man had come up from behind, and was now blocking the way back to Rei's house. Nagisa was starting to panic. His senses were screaming at him, _"Stranger Danger! STRANGER DANGER!"_

"I-I should really be-"

"I said, no need to rush, didn't I?" the second, larger man stepped closer to the now thoroughly freaked out teen. Nagisa felt himself back up another couple of steps.

"Why don't you come with us, and play. Hmmn?" the first man's voice had taken a dangerous edge to it. Okay. It was way past time to get out of there. Nagisa stepped back again, and glanced around for an escape route. He felt his spirits rise as he spotted an alleyway to his right. Hoping that it would lead somewhere better than this, he flashed the two men a cheeky smile.

"Sorry, fellas, but I really gotta go!" With that, he sprinted down the alley. He followed it down and around a bend, glancing back to see the men calmly walking after him. He hoped against hope that it wasn't a-

Dead end.

_Shit._

The first man's voice reached his ears.

"Tut-tut-tut! Shouldn't run away when someone is talking to you, little one! Do you think we should teach him some manners?" the first asked the second. Nagisa felt his blood run cold, and he whipped around. The men were slowly stalking towards him. His eyes darted around, looking for a way to get out of the dead-end. It was a wide alley, and he was fast and skinny. If he could just make a break for it… and…

GO! He bolted toward the men, darting to the side of the second. Then he was past them! He felt a smile rise to his face as he approached the corner, nearly home free…

Suddenly, a pair of giant hands grabbed him roughly by the waist, and lifted him completely off the ground. He gasped and tried to pry them off of him. He kicked and clawed at the second man, trying to make him let go as he was carried back into the corner of the alley.

"Let go of me!" he yelled, continuing to resist. He was thrown roughly to the ground.

"Uff!" Nagisa felt the wind get knocked out of him. Looking up at the two men towering over him, he scurried backward. He hit the wall of the dead-end, then scrambled to his feet, catching his breath.

The First man sneered, and turned to the Second, gesturing to the terrified boy. The Second grinned, and began to leisurely walk over to the teen. Nagisa gave a small whimper, trying with all his might to just melt into the wall. Both men snickered, enjoying the terror on the boy's face immensely.

The Second man grabbed Nagisa roughly by the shoulders and spun him so he was facing the First. He grabbed Nagisa's arms and held them together behind his back.

"Ngh! L-Let me go!" he yelled, trying to wrench his arms from the iron grip of the man behind him. The First walked up to the struggling boy and grabbed his face roughly, forcing him to look at him.

"I told you, we want to play. When we wanna play, you play with us. That's how it's gonna work from now on, got it?" he growled, digging his nails into the boy's cheeks.

_P-play?_ Realization dawned in Nagisa's mind.

"S-someone, help me!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "P-please! Someone, anyone! H-help m- Mpf!"

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_I have to catch up! I gotta apologize for being such an idiot!_ Rei thought as he ran. He's only been running a minute or so.

"S-someone, help me!" Rei skidded to a stop. A scream had just echoed down an alley way beside him. The voice sounded familiar.

"P-please! Someone, anyone! H-help m—!"

"Nagisa!" Rei breathed, before sprinting down the alley. Coming to a stop at the corner, the blue haired boy peeked around the bend. He gasped at the scene in front of him.

Two men stood in the alley with someone in between them. That someone was sagging down, supported by nothing but the large man behind him. Rei caught a glimpse of blond hair as the shorter of the two men shifted, gesturing to the larger. The large man dropped Nagisa, who simply crumpled to the ground.

"You will not do that again. Do you understand, boy?" the smaller of the two men reached down and grabbed Nagisa by the jacket, pulling him to his feet and slamming him back against the wall. Rei felt himself tense as Nagisa let out a small sound of pain. He watched as the small blonde boy nodded.

"Good." Then the man did something that Rei never thought he would be witness to in a thousand years. He grabbed Nagisa's face and forced him to look up.

The man kissed Nagisa. On the lips. Rei felt his heart stop.

Then the man touched Nagisa.

Rei saw red.

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Words couldn't begin to describe the waves of nausea that rolled over Nagisa when the First touched him. It felt like he was someone else, watching a horrible, disgusting show. He felt the disgusting groping hands. He felt his body go limp. He felt tears roll down his face, felt his eyes squeeze shut, but it was distant. Like it was through a large coat of rubber.

He let his mind wander. It went straight to the same subject it always did when it wandered: Rei.

Rei. He remembered the way he felt when their eyes met. The way he felt when he watched Rei looking at something beautiful. The blush. The butterflies. Would he ever get to feel those things again? Would he ever get to see Rei, or anyone, again?

Suddenly, Nagisa was brought back to reality. The… thing that had been roughly groping at him had been suddenly pulled away. It was gone, for the moment.

Nagisa didn't question it. He sank down against the wall, and covered his face with his hands.

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Rei didn't know where the brick in his hand had come from. Maybe he picked it up a couple of seconds ago. Maybe back at his house. Maybe it had always been there. It didn't matter. What mattered was slamming it down with all his force onto the head of the bigger man, and watching him crumple to the ground.

What mattered was watching the second man pull away from Nagisa in surprise, turning around to a punch straight in the face. Seeing him stagger back from the force of the blow, then back again from another punch.

What mattered was landing hit after hit, beating the bastard that _dare_ touch his Nagisa into the ground.

That's what mattered.

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Nagisa didn't process the sounds coming from around him. He didn't open his eyes when he heard, or more accurately didn't hear, the sounds of fighting around him. So when Nagisa felt someone grab his hands, he immediately lashed out. Kicking and punching blindly at his assailant, he shrunk away.

"No! No more!" he sobbed out, and curled into a ball once again.

"Nagisa." a familiar voice called out softly. He felt himself freeze. It couldn't be...

"It's okay, Nagisa."

Someone once again attempted to pry his hands away from his face. This time, he didn't resist. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Large hands held his small ones gently.

He looked up though teary eyes at Rei. Letting out another sob, he flung himself onto the blue haired boy in front of him.

"R-Rei-ch-chan!" he cried into the boy's shoulder. He felt Rei freeze. Then strong arms slowly wrapped around him, pulling him tighter into the embrace. He grabbed fistfuls of Rei's shirt, clinging to him for dear life.

"Nagisa. It's okay. It's okay." Rei whispered, hugging him even tighter. The blonde cried harder. "I'll never let them touch you again."

Rei didn't know how long they sat like that. He just knew that he had to keep holding his Nagisa. Holding him until his sobs quieted, until they turned to sniffles, then silence. And still he held him, until the blonde lifted his head away from his shoulder. Rei reluctantly pulled away as well, holding Nagisa out at arm's length and looking him up and down for injuries.

Gently, he held the blonde's face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears from his eyes. Eyes that were always full of life, sparkling with humor and mischief. Those eyes Rei loved so much were dull. They looked broken.

"You okay?" he asked softly, but regretted it right after. "I'm sorry… that was a stupid question. And I'm sorry about earlier, too! I don't know why I called out to you, and you looked so disappointed when all I said was 'good night' and, and… I'm sorry." The smaller boy looked at him in confusion as he fumbled over his words.

Nagisa surprised him by laughing. It was short and hoarse from crying, but it was still a laugh. Maybe he wasn't so broken after all. Rei looked at him questioningly.

"It's alright. It wasn't a stupid question. And… I-I think I will be. I have you." Nagisa said. Rei smiled and pulled Nagisa close once again. Nagisa stiffened, then returned the hug. They embraced for another few moments.

Suddenly, Nagisa felt Rei shift his weight. The he felt himself be lifted off the ground. Strong hands hugged him close, and in response, he wrapped his arms and legs around the boy holding him. Slowly, Rei began to walk. Talking him home, where he could keep his Nagisa safe.

"Rei?" Nagisa spoke quietly after a few moments.

"Hmm?"

"Th-thank you." Nagisa's voice broke as he talked into his shoulder.

"Always."

Nagisa tightened his hold around the bigger boy's neck. Rei. His lifeline.

"My Rei." He mumbled into his savior's shirt. "My hero."

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**AN: TA-DA! My first ever Free! fic is done! What did you think? Was anyone to terribly OOC? Do you think I should change the rating or add more warnings? Please review and tell me!**

**AND PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!**

**(Do not own free. Neither in this chapter nor the one previous to this one.)**


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